Life Cycle of a
Life Cycle of a
By Kristin Ross
Life Cycle of a Butterfly Š 2014 Kristin Ross 1543 Berry Ct. Arnold, MO 63010 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any means without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America First Printing: April 2014
Dedication This book is dedicated to my Grandpa Mitchell. I love you and miss you very much! You will always be in our hearts and memories.
Introduction The butterfly is a delicate and beautiful insect. It is peaceful and majestic. A butterfly goes through a unique transformation in its small lifetime, but it is so extravagant. There are all different types of species of butterflies, but in this exhibit it showcases the monarch butterfly, a common butterfly and very well-known. This exhibit shows the life cycle of a butterfly and how it goes through its transformation from a caterpillar to a butterfly. It shows the anatomy, tells of the science behind the process, and gives a few fun facts about butterflies along the way. You will find that the life cycle of a butterfly is a very interesting and complicated process, but when broken down, simple to understand. Enjoy this educational exhibit on the life cycle of the butterfly.
Life Cycle of a
Butterflies go through a process called complete metamorphosis, which means transformation or change in shape. Their appearance is very different from their young stage to the adult stage, making a complete change. A butterfly goes through four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
Complete Metamorphosis means transformation or change in shape.
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Phase 4 Adult
Phase 1 Egg
Phase 3 Pupa
Phase 2 Larva
The adult female butterfly starts by looking for a good plant to lay her eggs. This plant will serve as food and a home to the caterpillars once they hatch.
Egg the butterfly will look for an optimum spot to lay its fertilized egg.
Egg
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The butterfly will lay many eggs so that some of them will survive. Adult female butterflies will tend to lay eggs in the spring, summer, or fall.
Life Cycle of a Butterfly
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Antenna helps the caterpillar taste the air and feel. Once the egg has hatched it is now in the larva stage, also known as the caterpillar. The goal at this stage is for the caterpillar to eat as much food as it can to store it to be used as an adult. As the caterpillar grows it sheds its skin about 4 to 5 times. The caterpillar can grow 100 times their size during the larva stage.
Larva once the egg hatches the little caterpillar that comes out is known as the larva. Color caterpillars are brightly colored to ward off predators such as birds and other insects. Their bright color acts as a warning.
Cremaster replaces the anal-claspers in attaching the chrysalis to the top of the cup or to a twig. The caterpillar attaches itself to a branch or leaf and then prepares itself for the pupa stage. The caterpillar starts to shed its skin for the last time showing the silk like material that forms in the chrysalis stage. 12
The pupa will stay in the chrysalis for weeks, months, or years depending on the type of species it is. While the pupa is inside of the chrysalis big changes are happening. The body of the pupa will break down into undifferentiated imaginal cells, like stem cells, that will grow into the adult parts of the butterfly such as the legs, wings, and eyes.
Stem cells are cells that can be formed into any other type of cell.
Once the caterpillar is fully-grown and it stops eating it goes into the pupa stage where it wraps its body in a soft silk, also known as a chrysalis. The chrysalis will harden over time and be the pupa’s protection as it goes through its changes. Depending on the species some pupa will hang from tree branches, hidden in leaves, or underground.
Pupa the third stage of metamorphosis, another name for the chrysalis. Chrysalis the hard shell covering the pupa, shaped like an upside-down teardrop.
The soft silky material then covers the whole caterpillar and finishes molting and starts to harden. Life Cycle of a Butterfly
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Fun Fact
Butterflies cannot fly if their body temperature is less than 86 degrees.
Fun Fact The butterfly is thought to have gotten its name in England from the yellow brimstone or English sulfur species. They called it a “butter colored fly� because the color of it reminded them of butter.
Fun Fact
The ancient Greeks are said to have believed that when people die, their souls leave their bodies in the form of a butterfly.
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Fun Fact
Monarch butterflies journey from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, about 2,000 miles, and return to the north again in the spring.
Fun Fact The scientific name of its order, Lepidoptera, means “scaly wings� in Latin. This is a correct description since their wings and their bodies are covered with tiny scales. Butterflies and moths are the only insects that have scales.
Fun Fact
The top butterfly flight speed is 12 miles per hour. Some moths can fly 25 miles per hour!
Life Cycle of a Butterfly
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At this stage pupa has now transformed into an adult, which is known as a butterfly. When the butterfly is ready it emerges from the chrysalis. The pupa has transformed into a beautiful butterfly with long legs, compound eyes, which are good at detecting color and movement, and big colorful wings. The butterfly is fully-grown and cannot grow anymore. The butterfly at this point is to mate and lay eggs.
Compound eyes are good at detecting color and nearby movement. Moveable Antennae are segmented, and have organs for detecting smells at the tips and structures for sensing the butterfly’s direction and position at the base Forewings are closer to the butterfly’s head and are roughly triangular. Hindwings are closer to the tail and are shaped like fans or seashells.
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Antennae
Compound eyes
Thorax Forewing
Abdomen Hindwing Scales the pattern and colors on the wings are made from scales. They protect and insulate. The pattern on the bottom side of the wings are made to be camouflage which means to blend in into the environment.
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Bibliography “Butterfly Fun Facts - Butterfly Facts to Amaze Your Friends!.” Butterfly Fun Facts - Butterfly Facts to Amaze Your Friends!. N.p., n.d. Web. . <http://www.thebutterflysite.com/facts.shtml>. N.p.. Web. 6 Apr 2014. < http://earthsbirthday.org/butterflies/ butterfly-vocabulary>. N.p.. Web. 6 Apr 2014. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/ dictionary/metamorphosis>. Natural Sciences, A.. N.p.. Web. 6 Apr 2014. <http://www.ansp.org/ explore/online-exhibits/butterflies/lifecycle/>. N.p.. Web. 6 Apr 2014. <http://www.scienceclarified.com/Bi-Ca/ Butterflies.html N.p.. Web. 6 Apr 2014. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/zoology/ insects-arachnids/butterfly1.htm>. Wilson, Tracy. N.p.. Web. 6 Apr 2014. <http://science.howstuffworks. com/zoology/insects-arachnids/caterpillar3.htm>.
Colophon This book was created using Adobe InDesign cs5 using Cronos Pro in 9 & 12 point type for all body copy and Mission Script in 60 point type for all titles. This books dimensions are 8.5 inches by 7 inches. This book was printed on 32lb paper from FedEx Kinkos. Designed & illustrated by Kristin Ross.
EDITION
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Glossary Antenna helps the caterpillar taste the air and feel. Moveable Antennae are segmented, and have organs for detecting smells at the tips and structures for sensing the butterflyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s direction and position at the base Camouflage which means to blend in into the environment. Chrysalis the hard shell covering the pupa, shaped like an upside-down teardrop. Color caterpillars are brightly colored to ward off predators such as birds and other insects. Their bright color acts as a warning. Complete Metamorphosis means transformation or change in shape. Compound eyes are good at detecting color and nearby movement. Cremaster replaces the anal-claspers in attaching the chrysalis to the top of the cup or to a twig. Egg the butterfly will look for an optimum spot to lay its fertilized egg. Forewings are closer to the butterflyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head and are roughly triangular. Hindwings are closer to the tail and are shaped like fans or seashells. Larva once the egg hatches the little caterpillar that comes out is known as the larva. Pupa the third stage of metamorphosis, another name for the chrysalis. Scales the pattern and colors on the wings are made from scales. They protect and insulate. Stem cells are cells that can be formed into any other type of cell.